I admit it -- I like 'Notting Hill': For Valentine's Day, my 10 favorite romantic movies

Now, let's get this straight: I am not a sentimentalist. I think Valentine's Day sucks. It's a cynical holiday designed to sell bonbons, flowers and greeting cards. (And don't even bring up Sweetest Day to me.)

So, I've compiled a list of my 10 favorite smooch flicks, in no particular order. Some are simply sweet, and others, offbeat. Then, the guilty pleasures that may betray my reputation as a crusty curmudgeonly critic. And yes, this is an open invitation to share your favorites, too -- post 'em in the comments section below.

"Notting Hill" (see video clip above)

Some serious chemistry here between Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. And what the hell, I'll come clean: "I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her" chokes me up every time.

"Amelie"

This could be the most charming movie in cinema history. Who wouldn't be completely enchanted by Audrey Tautou after watching this? Here's the wonderful scene where she finally gets to express her affection for the man she has admired for so long from afar (and the cat makes it perfect).

Some serious chemistry here between Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger. And what the hell, I'll come clean: "You had me at hello" chokes me up every time.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

She calls him Joely. He calls her Tangerine. They tell their most intimate secrets under the bedspread, and share a profoundly romantic moment laying on their backs on a frozen lake, looking at the stars. This movie is the pinnacle of bittersweetness. (And it further solidified my Kate Winslet crush.)

"Out of Sight"

George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez are terrifically sexy in this girl-cop, guy-crook love story. The affair is set up while they're stuffed in a car trunk together early in the film, and consummated in this tasteful, artfully edited scene:

"Casablanca"

"We'll always have Paris." "Here's looking at you, kid." No one tears your heart out with a single tear like Ingrid Bergman:

"Notorious"

Although "Casablanca" is untouchable in many ways, this Hitchcock masterpiece made me truly fall in love with Ms. Bergman. She and Cary Grant have such magnetism in this film, and their relationship is as complex as it is romantic. Here's a montage of three terrific scenes, rife with sexual tension:

"Harold and Maude"

We get over the ick factor quickly, and appreciate the undeniable sweetness at the core of this cult classic, which pairs the incredibly young Bud Cort and the incredibly aged Ruth Gordon. Love is blind, you know. Cat Stevens' music made this wonderful film even more resonant; here's a nice montage set to "If you Want to Sing Out, Sing Out":

"WALL-E"

You knew this was coming. Two robots dance against a gorgeous cosmic backdrop, in the purest, tenderest expression of love: